THE SEAN HANNITY SHOW

White House Imposes Sanctions Against North Korea The White House today imposed a wave of sanctions against the North Korean government, amounting to the U.S. government's first official response to the cyber-attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment. Despite ongoing questions from private security analysts over whether North Korea was responsible for the hack -- as the FBI has charged -- the White House described the new sanctions as retaliation against Pyongyang. "We take seriously North Korea's attack that aimed to create destructive financial effects on a U.S. company and to threaten artists and other individuals with the goal of restricting their right to free expression," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said in a statement. "As the president has said, our response to North Korea's attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment will be proportional, and will take place at a time and in a manner of our choosing. Today's actions are the first aspect of our response." For more on this developing story click here Obama Prepares for Regulatory Rush The Obama administration just wrapped up another big year for regulations and executive actions -- pushing through everything from a new type of retirement account to a deportation reprieve affecting millions of illegal immigrants to long-awaited standards for coal waste. But thousands of proposed regulations remain on the table and could set the stage for a rush of rulemaking in the president's final two years in office. Some of the biggest items are expected from the Environmental Protection Agency, which is set to finalize several landmark rules in 2015. Perhaps the most controversial concern new regulations on coal-fired power plants. The Obama administration is trying to get fossil-fuel fired power plants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. The EPA proposed the rules last year and is set to finalize them by summer 2015. But with Republicans taking control of the Senate and boosting their numbers in the House, incoming leaders are girding for battle...continue reading